The Snows of Jealousy
by crazysockmonkeys
Summary: Daphne's new boyfriend invites Niles, Frasier, and Martin to go skiing with him and Daphne, and jealousy forces Niles to accept the invitation. With such a desperate motivation, what else might he do?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: It appears the story idea well in my brain is overflowing at the moment. It appears that I've taken a brief vacation from "Command," but I haven't forgotten about it!**

**Also, I would like to say thank you to my friend xfilesfanatic, who gave me many great ideas for this story, some pretty major, so she deserves a lot of credit for this story! Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Niles was more nervous than he had ever been in his whole life. His hands trembled as he straightened his tie.

Daphne had a new boyfriend; a wealthy man, a likable man, one that seemed to be good. But no matter how many times Niles tried to convince himself of these things, his heart still churned inside of his chest at the thought of Daphne with another man. Now, Joshua, the boyfriend, had invited Niles over to Frasier's apartment and had said that he and Daphne had an announcement to make. What if it was marriage? They had only known each other for three months, it was too soon, and his body would break if Daphne were engaged. He hoped and prayed that this wasn't the case, but he couldn't quit worrying.

Another question loomed in the back of his mind. What if it was…a baby? Daphne having some other man's child made his head swim. He felt queasy all of a sudden. Slowly, he walked down to his car and drove over to the apartment, his hands moving anxiously about the steering wheel. When he got there, he contemplated calling up to the apartment and saying that he was sick, and that he had to stay at home because of the cold weather outside. But he decided that he had to know what was going on, and he forced his way up the Elliot Bay Towers.

When he had arrived, Joshua shook his hand heartily. "Hello, Niles," he said with a smile. "It's good to see you here. Daphne and I were hoping you'd come." The looks of the young man taunted Niles. He was Daphne's age with hair a sort of strawberry blonde and a strong and fit body. He had caught the jealous eye of Roz on many an occasion, and Daphne often mentioned how lucky she was to have him.

"Hello there, Joshua," said Niles with disdain. "I'm very eager to hear this _news _the two of you have for us."

"Niles, you've let me call you by your first name, so I insist you call me Josh. Let's just do away from formality all together." He smiled again and Niles only stared.

Frasier and Martin had already taken their places in the living room. Niles sat next to Frasier on the couch and Joshua and Daphne stood up. "Daphne has been kind enough to let _me _tell you what's going on."

Niles felt his insides turn to quivering jelly and he bit the corner of his lip.

"The three of you are going skiing with Daphne and me!"

The three Cranes were silent for a few moments until Daphne spoke, "I know we just went on a skiing trip a couple of months ago and it was sort of hectic, but I promise this one will be better! Josh is paying for everything, and you three are all going to have your own cabins, we won't all have to share one and deal with that." She finished, and Niles thought about the ski trip they had taken where it seemed like all the guests had wanted someone else and it had all led to a very awkward scene… Now, it would just be his unfulfilled longings for Daphne on this trip, that is, if he even went.

"I've booked it for three weeks from now. I hope you can clear your schedules for then."

Maybe he could, but did he really want to go to see Joshua and Daphne holding hands and…other things?

"I don't know what to say, Joshua," said Frasier. "Thank you. I'm sure I can make it work."

"Yeah, thanks Josh," said Martin. "You're a good kid."

"Thank you, Martin," said Joshua. "Niles, how about you?"

"I'll think about it," Niles said flatly.

"All right," Joshua replied. He turned around and looked at Daphne, who was staring at him fondly.

"You're so sweet to do this for all of us," she said, inching closer to him. Before Niles could close his eyes, the two were locked in a kiss.

It was the first time Niles had seen Daphne kiss another man since Eric, a man she had dated a few months after he had met her. That had caused him to cry, and looking at this he wanted to cry. She looked so happy, her lips pressed against his as if they were magnetically inclined to do so. She obviously didn't know happiness. If she were with Niles, he'd make her so happy that she'd…

He lost his thought as he continued to stare. How long were they going to keep his up? How long had it been, hours? If this is what they did in front of people, the thought of what went on behind closed doors ate a whole inside of his lungs.

That was when Niles knew he had to go. This Joshua wasn't who he said he was, he was sure of it, and he had to go to make sure that nothing happened to Daphne.

"You know what? I don't need to think about it. I'm going," Niles said as soon as Joshua and Daphne had stopped.

"Great, Niles," said Joshua. "You look like you'd be a good skier."

Martin only laughed, but Daphne ignored him and said, "I'm glad that you're coming, Dr. Crane. I don't think it'd be the same without you."

Niles smiled as a feeling like sunshine erupted inside of him. "Thank you, Daphne."


	2. Chapter 2

Three weeks later, under the dawn of a new day, the five set off to the ski resort, with Frasier driving, Martin in the front seat, and Niles, Daphne, and Joshua in the back seats. There were taking Joshua's SUV, so Niles was sitting all the way in the back by himself with a full view of the couple as they sat hand in hand and looked at each other in ways that made him want to jump out the window. Oh, why…

Daphne had had other suitors, but this was the first one she had had since Niles filed for divorce. There was no reason not to want her now, he loved her and there was no doubt about that.

Joshua spoke softly, "Frasier, how about some hot chocolate? It seems like a good day for some."

"Where would you like me to stop?"

"Oh, anywhere."

Niles sighed. He didn't want to stop; he just wanted to get there. But a hot drink did sound nice. It was cloudy and cold outside, and it would be nice to have something to keep his hands warm.

A few minutes later, they stopped at a small stand-alone coffee shop, and everyone got out and went inside. It was soft and dim on the inside, with hardwood floors and purple couches. After drinks had been ordered, Niles sat on a couch while everyone except himself and Frasier went to use the restroom. Frasier sat next to Niles and sighed. "How're you holding up?" He asked.

"Not well," said Niles.

"I'm sorry. Why did you come?"

"Because I love Daphne and I want her to be safe."

"Safe? Why wouldn't she be safe?"

"Because, I don't trust that man."

"Joshua?"

"Yes."

"Why not?"

But before he could answer, Joshua himself came and sat next to Niles. "This is a nice place. I'm glad you stopped, Frasier."

"Well, I have a knack for finding good places to wet one's whistle."

Niles rolled his eyes, and Joshua saw and laughed. "Niles, do you know how to ski?"

"I've been taught, but not really."

"I'll have to teach you myself then."

"I take it you like skiing."

"Yeah, yeah. I started when I was just a kid and I've liked it ever since." Joshua smiled again and received nothing from Niles in return. Joshua sighed and Frasier scoffed in frustration.

On the way back to the car, Frasier pulled his brother aside and whispered, "Regardless of whether you like the man or not, please try to be nice."

"Perhaps you're right. He hasn't done anything wrong, he's only…fallen helplessly for a goddess."

Niles climbed in the back and prepared to go back to the way things had been for the past few hours. He looked up at Daphne and missed her, even though she was so close. "Daphne," he said without thinking.

"Yes, Dr. Crane?"

"Oh…I just wanted to ask you…if your hot chocolate was good."

"It was, it was rich and chocolatey…"

…_like your eyes? _Thought Niles.

"Thank you for asking, Dr. Crane. How was your coffee?" Daphne asked.

"It was good," was all he said, thrilled for her attention. Whenever she had turned her head forward again, he stared out the window at the dreary landscape.

* * *

After they had reached the lodge, Niles went to explore his cabin. It was small, with a fireplace, a tiny kitchen, a bathroom with a large tub, and a queen-sized bed with a deep red bedspread.

He put down his bags and sat on the edge of the bed, sighing deeply. The inside of the cabin was already warm, so he took off his coat and started a fire. Everyone was meeting for dinner in a few hours, but before that nothing was planned and Niles wondered what he would do with his time until then. What were Daphne and Joshua doing right now?

He scolded himself. He had to stop thinking about them.

But they were the reason he had come, so how could he stop? He loved Daphne too much to let her be with anyone else.

There appeared to be no solution to this problem except…no, no, he couldn't. His mind filled with fear when he imagined admitting his feelings to Daphne, and what would she say? What would she do?

He decided to read a book he had brought with him to take his mind off things. He took it out of his bag, sat down in a chair near the fireplace and began tried to process the words on the page, but it was almost like all the letters were rearranging themselves to spell out _Daphne, Daphne, Daphne_, over and over again. Niles looked deeply into the fire and began to drift through his memories.

"_Dr. Crane, we're losing the fire!"_

"_No we're not! It's burning with the heat of a thousand suns!" Niles spoke without thinking, not bothering to acknowledge the fire Daphne really was talking about. But it was hard not to focus on the heat only he could feel between them, the fact that her face was so close, and she was wearing that…short dress that fit around her body as tight as a glove…_

_Maris. Niles was slapped from the warm vision by the name and Daphne turned away from him and looked at the glowing hearth. "But it's down to its last embers…" She said, and he got off the perilous track that he had been on._

As Niles was pulled away from the memory, he mused that that incident had been four years ago, and what had changed? Hardly anything. He was still just a friend to Daphne, and the only thing he could think of that was different was Maris.

Things should have changed, then. He loved her, why couldn't he tell her?

Niles clutched his forehead. Everything was so complicated and he hated all of it. There were so many problems, so many reasons he couldn't be with Daphne but should've been. And to top it all off she was being slowly taken from him…and she loved it.

He closed the book and set it beside him, deciding to take a walk outside. It was below freezing and Niles pulled his coat closer to him as he closed the door behind him. His surroundings were peaceful and private, his quarters being surrounded with trees. He couldn't see anything beyond them, not another cabin, not a ski slope, not even smoke wafting from a chimney. Fifty feet in front of the cabin door was a path out of his small clearing with garden lights on the ground for walking back at night. Niles, scared of bears or whatever could bend out of the trees and grab him, walked as fast as he could through the path. It led onto a wide, brick sidewalk that everyone staying at the resort used. Along the sidewalk were signs with arrows indicating where the main lodge was, where the lifts and slopes were, and so on.

When he had arrived at the main lodge, he took a minute to take in its architecture from the outside; then opened the door and felt the warmth greet him. It had a stark winter feeling with an air of classiness, which Niles found perfect. As he looked around him deeper, he realized that save for the intimidating trees, he would love this place if it weren't for the sadness looming inside of him.

Niles went and stared out the window, watching the ski lifts go up and down, bearing people that seemed so tiny from where he was. He began to lose himself in his thoughts when Niles heard a voice behind him, calling his name. With an unnamed negative feeling inside of him, Niles flipped around to find himself face to face with Joshua.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh, Joshua, hello," said Niles. "How's your cabin?"

"It's great," he said with another smile. "I spent a little more and got one with a view as a surprise for Daphne."

"Ah," he said, facing the benevolent reminder that the two were sharing a cabin.

"How's yours?"

"It's fine."

"Uh…Niles, this is kind of awkward, but I wanted to ask you something."

"Go on."

"Is there something…did I…" Joshua took a deep breath and let out, "I would respectfully like to know why you don't seem to care for me, Niles."

"Well, if you must…" Niles caught himself before he could mutter anything he'd regret. "You see…_Josh…_it's not really you. I…uh…my divorce…"

"Oh, I see. You don't have to finish, I understand. I was just worried, and I want us to be buddies. I like you, Niles!"

"I…" Niles spat out the words like blood. "…like you too."

"It's such a relief to hear that. I just wanted to get that out of the way before this vacation really starts."

"Uh huh." Looking over at the man, Niles felt a pinch of guilt. He still didn't trust him, and he still didn't think he was right for Daphne, but he didn't seem all that bad, he supposed. Niles thought of all the things he could ask him, about work, or skiing, or if he played squash, but the words wouldn't form in his head. Nothing came out of his mouth.

"You know, I saw on TV that there's a chance of freezing rain tonight," said Joshua. "That kind of makes me worried. I mean, I doubt it'll hinder our skiing plans, but you know, the roads and the sidewalks… But I guess they deal with this kind of stuff all the time."

Niles nodded.

"Well, I was gonna go, uh, walk around some more. I still haven't seen the snow, I mean, except out this window of course."

"Goodbye, Joshua. My…apologies."

Joshua grinned. "It's okay." He turned and walked away from Niles.

Niles still stood, his face still to the window. He was being selfish, he knew. If Daphne was happy, he shouldn't stand in her way…but…

The rush of feelings inside of his head continued.

* * *

Dinner was extravagant. They ate in the main lodge dining room, which had lamps with flickering flames hanging from the ceiling and white tablecloths. The napkins where embroidered with tiny snowflakes and the air was warm and pleasant. The fresh bread placed on their rested their mouths like a silk sheet, and their elegant glasses shown like frozen water in sunshine.

Niles was sitting in between his father and brother and sat face to face with Daphne and Joshua. They were holding hands now. Niles tried to distract himself by speaking with Frasier or Martin, but that had little effect. He gave up.

Once their food had arrived, Frasier spoke up. "Before we begin dinner, I would like to propose a toast. To Joshua, for his stunning generosity to bring us all here and the wonderful couple he and Daphne make. Shall we grow even fonder of each other as the week passes." He raised his glass and Niles stood, dazed, until Martin elbowed him and he too picked up his glass. A _clink _spread across the table and Niles took a long sip of his wine; then put it down harder than he had meant to.

"_Niles!" _Frasier scolded quietly.

Slightly embarrassed, Niles found shelter in his wonderful food and began to munch. He didn't speak much and tuned in and out of conversation, only catching small snippets of conversation.

In one instance, he heard Daphne say the word _engagement _and he dropped his fork. It fell on the edge of the plate with a telltale _clang. _All eyes at the table turned to him, and he said softly, "Oh, pardon me. Terrible manners, that. I suppose I just have troubled fingers!"

Everyone continued to look at him. "Carry on," he said, and they did.

"_Niles, you idiot, she was talking about someone else. Pull yourself together," _Frasier whispered.

And so, Niles did his best all evening to pull himself up and keep himself from falling apart. It helped when Joshua talked to him about what was going on in his life so the man didn't seem like his complete enemy, and it soothed him when Daphne would mention him in conversation and smile at him.

Dinner ached on and they all walked to their cabins together. Niles' was the first one that they came to, and Joshua asked him, "Are you ready for the slopes, Niles?"

"Yes. Well…"

"Great. Goodnight! Sleep well."

"Uh, will do," he said. He knew that now he would have to face the trail through the trees to his cabin. Taking a deep breath, he ran along the lit path as fast as he could, the dark shadows threatening his demise. When he had finally gotten to the cabin, he unlocked the door and began to get ready for bed, going through his evening routine carefully. After he had turned out the light, he sighed into the darkness and let the sadness sink in again. He saw Daphne's beautiful face in the back of his forehead, and he listened to her voice as he breathed evenly. Then he saw nothing, and he wondered when all of this was going to end.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Niles woke up to see his whole world coated with ice. It coated the top of the tree branches, and icicles hung on to the roof of his cabin. Joshua had been right, it had rained the previous evening. When he got to the brick path, he walked with terrible caution, knowing that one false shift of weight could send him to the ground.

After breakfast, Martin went back to his cabin and the other four made there were to the slopes. It was still early, and when they arrived, there were men scraping ice off of the ski lift. When they had finished, Daphne and Joshua got on one chair and Frasier and Niles got on another. Niles held his breath as they got farther and farther from the ground.

"Niles, promise me you won't make too much of a fool out of yourself today," said Frasier.

"As much as I'll try, I can't promise you that. I'll admit my actions tend to be immature and idiotic, but…" He looked at the chair in front of him to make sure Daphne and Josh were completely out of ear shot; then finished, "…I love her."

"Look, Niles, I can't tell you what to do about any of this, other than just to lay low, to not say anything to call too much attention to yourself. I'm afraid someone will find out."

Niles let the words sink in. Frasier was right, he had no doubts about that. The only question was if he had the ability to do what his brother had suggested.

So, as the four skied, he tried not to stand out, but on some occasions his well-laid plans fell apart in his hands.

After about an hour of meticulous skiing, Niles watched as Joshua took Daphne by the hand to correct her form. He pulled her close to him and pulled her back into him, showing her how to fix her mistake all too romantically. Niles' insides boiled and he felt sick as he watched Joshua kiss Daphne's neck, and he felt utter contempt as he watched her cheeks grow a deeper crimson than he could have ever imagined was possible.

He knew he shouldn't watch; that doing so would only bring him pain, but he couldn't help but get wrapped up further as the two kissed ever passionately. The rip inside of him grew wider and longer, and he felt tired yet alive with the mix of feelings raging inside.

All of a sudden, Niles looked at the direct position of Joshua's hands (one very low on Daphne's back) and stuck his ski pole into the ground, ready to kill him. _He'll never touch her like that again, the shameless fiend. What gives him the right to—_

But without warning, Niles felt himself being pulled downward unexpectedly. He had been at the top of a slope, and now he was being forced by gravity at a speed he had never wanted to experience. All feelings fled his insides save for utter dread and panic, and at the peak of those feelings he finally tumbled into the snow, turning over and over again and getting pelted by snow, begging to breathe. His heart raced and he wondered when he would stop, and if he had hurt anything. His rotation became slower and slower until finally he landed face up on the bottom of the slope. Niles didn't move, but not because he couldn't.

"Dr. Crane!" He heard behind him. It was Daphne's voice, yes, she had come to help him, to rescue him. Niles' eyes opened and he felt her cool hands on his cheeks.

"Mmm…" he murmured softly as he closed his eyes again.

"Dr. Crane, are you all right? That was quite a fall you took. Can you hear me, Dr. Crane?"

Niles felt her hands smooth his hair over and over again. "Mmm…" he said again. He revisited a memory of a few years back when she had done this. He had hit his head in Frasier's kitchen, and she had been there to soothe him, to comfort him…to touch him…

"Dr. Crane? Can you hear me? Say something, please!"

He could hear the fear in her voice and he realized he was overreacting. Nothing on him hurt, and his head felt fine. "I'm all right, Daphne," he said, opening his eyes yet again.

"Thank goodness!" She said. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine," he said. Her hand was resting on his chest and without thinking he moved his hand towards it, taking it in his. He could kiss it. He would love to.

Frasier's advice thundered in his head. _Lay low. Don't call any attention to yourself._

He didn't kiss it. "Thank you," he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

"I'm a healthcare worker. Caring for people is part of me job." She kissed his forehead and he felt the rip in his insides mend a tiny bit.

"Hey Niles, are you okay?" He heard Joshua ask.

"Yes, thank you Joshua. I'm fine, I just…fell."

"Well, let me help you up." Joshua held out his thickly gloved hand and Niles took it in embarrassment.

"Thank you," said Niles as he was pulled up. "Daphne helped me come to my senses."

"Did she?" Asked Joshua. "Well, she is perfect."

Niles was about to agree, but they kissed again, Joshua tipping her back slightly. The rip grew more despite the slight repair it had gone through earlier.

"Excuse us, Dr. Crane," said Daphne when they had pulled apart. "Josh likes to be affectionate with me in front of people."

_Lucky me, _thought Niles. _Lucky me._


	5. Chapter 5

Two days later, as Niles sat in front of the fireplace in his cabin, he felt exhausted. It had felt like years since they had arrived at the resort. He didn't know how much more of seeing Joshua and Daphne together he could take.

Frasier and Martin had kept at him constantly, reprimanding him when he said anything questionable, and although this helped, it was almost as if his mind was set on being jealous and lovelorn.

Yet again, he remembered that he had two options. Go on like this or tell Daphne how he'd been feeling. It seemed impossible, but was it? Could he do it? He was just desperate enough that maybe…maybe he would tell her, maybe he would end this once in for all, maybe he would finally discover what the future held for himself and Daphne, together.

And what about Joshua? There was no doubt Daphne would tell him whatever Niles said to her. Niles could only hope that he would understand and go easy on him.

Yes. Yes, yes, Niles would tell Daphne how much he loved her and how she made him feel. He'd thought of doing this so many times, and although he was almost paralyzed with fear at the thought of carrying it through, it almost seemed liberating knowing that there was no more "what if" about it. It was going to happen.

* * *

"Daphne?"

"Yes, Dr. Crane?"

"Would you…do you think you could…"

Niles was at Daphne and Joshua's cabin door, standing out in the cold evening. Night had fallen, and it was time for Niles to carry out his plan.

"Where's Joshua?" Asked Niles.

"He had to leave. His mum's in the hospital, and she's not doing so well. He should be gone all night," said Daphne.

"Oh, I see," said Niles. He was glad that Joshua was out of the picture for tonight, and he felt a little less nervous now. "I was wondering if you would come get a drink at the main lodge with me, Daphne," he said, the words sliding off his tongue like he had never expected them to.

"That sounds lovely," she said with a warm smile. "Let me get me coat."

They walked on the icy sidewalk by the glow of garden lights as carefully as possible until they had arrived at the main lodge. Niles' heart felt as if it were about to erupt as he held open the door for her and they came inside.

They ordered hot rum drinks and stood by the large, elaborate fireplace.

"It's been such a fun trip, hasn't it?" Said Daphne.

"Yes," Niles said to the best of his ability.

"You're really getting to be a good skier, Dr. Crane."

"Oh, you must be joking. I'm terrible."

"No, I was watching you today. You haven't fallen all that much and you're picking up speed."

"You're a natural at skiing."

"I have a good teacher," she said, staring into the fire and smiling fondly.

Niles took this as a transition. "Daphne, I have to tell you something important," he said suddenly, setting down his drink on a side table near the fireplace. Daphne followed his lead and soon their hands were free.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Oh, Daphne…" The leaps and shadows of the fire slid around her face and hair and made her look bright and lovely. "You don't know how long I've wanted to say…" He stopped.

"It's all right, Dr. Crane," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He looked at her hand it took both of her hands in his. He could still feel the heat from the drink she had been holding. Her eyes looked eager and ready for whatever he was going to tell her. The background noises of people talking and eating behind him vanished as he looked at her. He moved a little closer.

"Daphne…" The words caught on the very edge of his tongue until their weight became too much. "…I love you. Daphne, I love you and I've felt this way ever since I first saw you. You're beautiful, and you don't know what happens to me when I see you when my life is terrible. I can't imagine ever being without you. I need you, Daphne." He slid his thumb across her hand slowly, waiting painfully for her to reply.

"Dr. Crane…" she said, everything about her completely still. "How could you do this?"

Niles watched her eyes turn from eager to rejecting, from ready to finished. She let go of his hands and stepped back from him.

"How could you do this, Dr. Crane? You've felt this away about me for five years and you've never said anything until right now, when I have a man whom I love?"

He said nothing; he felt dead.

"Dr. Crane, I love him!" She said, raising her voice. He saw her soften and said in a calmer manner, "Is this a joke? Are you trying to make me look stupid?"

Niles finally spoke, "No Daphne, please," he said, reaching out to touch her shoulder. She slapped it away.

Daphne almost said something, but tears began to fill her eyes. "I don't understand, Dr. Crane. I really thought you were me friend." A tear fell to the ground.

She bit her lip. "Goodnight," she said.

And Niles watched in horror as she walked out the door and left him standing there.


	6. Chapter 6

Niles felt numb inside and out. He stood there for a few moments, not being able to think about hardly anything. Finally, he was able to grab his drink and sit down. The liquid had gotten cool, but he still drank it all quickly; then asked for a refill. Halfway through his third, he realized that he still had to ask back to his cabin in icy conditions.

Daphne had been right. How could he do this to her? He had let jealousy and anger throw off his judgment and he had hurt her because of it. He couldn't stop seeing the tears in her eyes over and over again, he couldn't help being tormented by what he had done. How could he have been so stupid, so idiotic, so blind?

As he began to walk to the brick path, Niles couldn't decide whether or not he regretted his drinking that evening. His pain had softened, but things looked slightly blurry. Once he had gotten there, he was soon greeted by utter darkness. For any reason, the lights beside the path had gone out. He still had awhile to go.

The moon was out, and he could barely see the trees and the shiny ice before him. The stars shone above but did little to help him. He walked slowly and carefully, with his mind still preoccupied with what had happened earlier that evening. _Daphne has rejected me. Forever. It's all my fault. I've hurt her, _he thought with each step.

A few minutes into his journey, he heard something.

"Dr. Crane?"

Daphne's voice…surely he was just imagining it.

"Dr. Crane? Down here."

"Daphne?"

"Dr. Crane, can you see me? I'm right here."

Niles felt something touch his leg and in surprise he looked down to see a body sitting down on the ice.

"Daphne…what are you doing?"

"I fell. I couldn't see, and I can't get up because I sprained me ankle, and there's something wrong with me knee."

"Daphne…" He bent down and reached out to touch her head. "Are you real?"

"You've been drinking, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"Some. Not much."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Crane. I don't know if I'm still mad at you or not, but I'm sorry I acted that way. I guess it took me an hour alone in the dark to realize that I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"You had every right to…"

"Maybe I did, but you're me friend. I suppose I could've been calmer." She sighed. "But, Dr. Crane, you don't usually act like this, at least, I've never known you to. Oh, what am I saying? We should get inside somewhere before we both freeze. Could you help me?"

"Of course, Daphne."

"Me leg got folded under me when I fell, and I can't move it out." She took his hand and placed it on her lower thigh so he could fell where her leg was. His feelings rushed around in his foggy head at touching her, and suddenly he knew that this definitely was real. She leaned back slightly and awkwardly but with an air of thrill he grabbed her calf and slowly straightened her leg. It was as if his fingers had a mind of their own as they tried to go deep into Daphne's covered skin. He could barely get his head clear enough to tell himself to stop.

"Does that hurt?" He asked her.

"Yes, I there's definitely something that matter with my knee."

Slowly, he put one arm around her ribcage and one under her legs. "You don't have to pick me…"

But Niles already had Daphne in his arms.

His arms were weak and grew tired quickly, but he vowed not to drop her, to never hurt her again. Step by step by step they walked, until Niles' arms began to shake with fatigue. "Oh, Dr. Crane, it's all right, you can put me down."

"No, Daphne," was all he said, and he kept walking, forcing himself to pull through. "I'm going to need directions to your cabin," said Niles.

"That's much too far away. Would it be all right if you just took me to yours? I hope that doesn't sound…"

Niles was too focused on the current task to explore any possibilities that such a thing could lead to.

"…but we're both freezing, and you can't carry me for much longer," she finished.

"All right," he said.

When they had come to his cabin, the garden lights that lit the path through the trees were on and finally they had some light. When they had stepped in, Niles saw Daphne's face full on unexpectedly and almost dropped her.

But he didn't, and soon they had come to Niles' warm cabin. He sat her on his bed and watched as she took off her coat and boots. He placed a warm afghan over her legs, started a fire, and got some ice from his freezer. Her wrapped the ice in washcloths and put some on her knee and ankle; then sat down in the comfy chair by the fireplace.

"Thank you," said Daphne, smiling at him. They were silent for a while, and Niles didn't know what to do.

"Would you like a book?" He asked.

She smiled again. "No, but thanks." Daphne paused. "Dr. Crane, are you certain that you really have feelings for me?"

_"Yes,"_ he said without hesitation.

"Why did you tell me tonight?"

Looking at her, he knew that she only deserved the truth. "Because I was jealous of you and Joshua."

She didn't respond. "Don't you want me to be happy?"

"Of course I do."

"I'm happy with Josh. I'm happier than I've ever been. Of course I understand how it feels to see someone you love with another person, but… I guess what I'm saying is, Dr. Crane, if you love me, than you'll let me be with Josh, just for now. I love him, but I can't promise everything will work out. Do you understand? I'm sorry if that sounds harsh."

"I understand, Daphne. It's not harsh at all. And I'm very sorry about what I did. It was an inconsiderate thing for me to do." He stopped for a moment. "You're so gracious."

"Oh, Dr. Crane," she said with a smile. "You're a sweet man."

Again, silence set in. They talked about a few other things until Daphne could not longer keep her eyes open. Niles promised to take her to a doctor the next day as he took her ice away and helped her to get under the covers.

He said goodnight and fell asleep in the chair by the final embers of the warm fire, the soft afghan taking in heat and keeping him warm.


	7. Chapter 7

From that night onward, Niles' life was different, a little strange, and of course, sad. He could barely wrap his mind around the fact that Daphne knew about what he had been feeling for her, mostly because she treated him no differently when they saw each other. He supposed it was best this way, but it seemed as if she didn't think anything of it that Niles loved her with a burning passion.

Daphne and Joshua continued dating and Niles' life looked as it always had on the outside, but inside, he felt lonely and hopeless. There was nothing he could do now. He had used the one thing he had to get her, telling her about his feelings, at the wrong time and it had ruined his life. He'd have to learn to be happy without her, but was that even possible? It certainly did not seem that way.

Niles had buried himself alive in work because his thoughts of Daphne had exhausted him, and he rarely saw Frasier or Martin. He was doing his best now to speed away from the topic of the woman that he loved so dearly, but no matter how hard he worked, he could always see her face, he could always feel the pain.

When is this going to end? He asked himself. When am I going to get over her?

It was one warm evening three months after the ski trip that Niles got his answer.

He was reading an old work of fiction when the doorbell rang, and when he answered it Daphne stood before him.

"Daphne," he said softly, realizing that he hadn't seen her in person in weeks. She was even more beautiful than any his mind, he remembered.

"Hello, Dr. Crane," she said in a misty tone. "May I come in? There's something I need to talk to you about. It's sort of important."  
"Of course, Daphne, make yourself comfortable."

She sat down on the fainting couch and he joined her. She looked uneasy and troubled.

"Are you all right?" He asked her.

"Yes. I'm just a little...nervous about what I have to say. I don't know if you'll even listen to it. Before I start, let me just tell you that I don't mean to make you mad."

"All right. What do you need to tell me?"

She took a deep breath. "Three weeks ago, Joshua decided to...end things with me."

"He did?"

"Yes. He was really very sweet about it. He told me that there's a girl that he fell in love with years ago and lost, and no matter how many other girls he dates, he can't seem to find one that makes him feel like she does. He didn't realize that until right before he broke it off with me. He said that he was sorry, but that he had to make things right with her."

"I'm sorry, Daphne. As sorry as I am, I can sympathize with Joshua. There's a woman whom I lost due to my foolish actions, and I've never loved any woman as much as I love her."

"Really? Who-" She stopped herself. "Oh." Daphne paused for a moment. "That's sort of why I'm here. You see, ever since our ski trip, I've been thinking about what you told me that evening. The more I thought about it the more I thought, maybe you wouldn't be so bad to...date. I guess I'd just never seen you that way until you told me. After that thought popped into me head the first time I brushed it off because I had Josh, but then...after we broke up I started thinking again. I won't blame you if you're angry with me for saying this, but...if you still want to, maybe you and I are worth a try."

"Why would you think I'd be angry with you?"

"Because, I made such a big deal about how I wanted to date Josh and..."

"Daphne, this is the best thing I've ever heard in my life."

She smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way. I overheard your father and brother talking and they said that you had been miserable ever since the trip, and I wanted to wait to tell you until after I was completely over Josh, but I didn't want you to feel bad anymore. Could we wait before we start dating?"  
"Of course, Daphne. I'd wait a thousand years if I had to."

Niles was nervous, but he took her hands and planted kisses on them. "Daphne, I'm so sorry about what I did to you that evening."

"Hush, don't worry. If that hadn't happened, we wouldn't be here now, would we? And you're a wonderful man. You just made a mistake, and I forgive you. We can forget that it ever happened."

Daphne leaned in and put her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around him, smiling, and closing her eyes. Niles felt light headed with happiness as he pulled her closer, bringing in his nose and smelling her hair. He was so captivated and so far gone that he muttered, "I love you."

She sat up again and squeezed his hand. They both sat in a comfortable silence until Daphne said goodbye and left. She hadn't said that she loved him back, but Niles didn't expect her to and he had a feeling that in time she would. Suddenly he loved the world. For the first time in a long time he didn't feel jealous, hurt, or lonely. All of those feelings, all of those terrible, terrible things, had caused something wonderful, something he'd have for the rest of his life.

* * *

**The End**


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